FROM HEREFORDSHIRE HUNT SABOTEURS — THEY’VE BEEN BUSY AGAIN

𝗙𝗼𝘅 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗯 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 1𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2025 – 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵 – 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 – 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 We were back out on the Herefordshire and Clifton hunt today, after turning our attention to other local hunts since Boxing Day. The incredible shrinking hunt that is the H and C mustered a field of fifteen riders today, most of whom were children. There were so few adults present we will name check them all – huntsman Will Hanson, Philip Blackman Howard whipping in, Tom Hadley whipping in (how many whips does it take to keep the H and C hounds under control – far more than two, based on Saturday's antics), Rob Parsons (field master), Jo Martin (master), James Clarke (ex, would-be terrier man), Tim Hinton (chairman) and, we believe, the meet host Victoria Verdin. The rest were children. We would suggest this is not a financially viable long term business model. We arrived just after the hunt left the meet, and quickly located them heading towards Titley Wood, where they drew blank. From here, despite being a small team, we kept close tabs on them throughout the day. One of our sabs was well positioned to spot a fox fleeing north from Cobblers Wood before crossing the road towards The Hill farm. Citronella was used to cover their scent, and this effectively prevented the ten or so hounds in the area from picking up on the fox's scent. The sab covered the fox's line in case a car follower had spotted the fox and the hounds were brought round and put on the line, but instead another sab was with huntsman and hounds as they were taken west into Chadnor Hill Wood. Shortly after this hounds went into cry and ran as far as Stocking Wood where they checked. Hanson spent some time painstakingly drawing Stocking Wood and an area of scrub adjacent to it, and finally the hounds started to speak. A sab was well placed by this time to see that the hounds had startled a hind (female deer). The sab managed to rate most of the hounds off the hund, giving her a head start. A second hind popped out of the wood and before circling back into it, which further distracted the hounds. Hanson and Blackman Howard stopped the hounds on that hind, but were totally unable to stop the hounds when they again ran off on the line of the first hind. Hanson and Blackman Howard hastened off after the hounds, but were in no position to stop the hounds who ran as far as Alton Court, nearly a mile and a half away. We don't know the fate of the hind, but we do know the hounds have rioted and killed at least one deer under Hanson's (lack of) control. There is a vacancy for a whipper in at the Devon and Somerset staghounds – perhaps Hanson should consider sending in his CV. All sorts of rumours have reached our ears concerning the H and C's recent exploits. Last Saturday Hanson managed to leave one of his hounds behind, in the dark, across the other side of the hunt's country from the kennels. On Tuesday the hunt trespassed through some orchards where, coincidentally or maybe not, soon after the body of a muntjac was discovered. The muntjac had injuries suggestive of dog bites on its neck and front leg. The trespass is fact, we can't prove the hounds killed the muntjac but all the evidence points to it. Piece de resistance though, was the previous Saturday's shenanigans, when we believe Hanson left some hounds behind not in his own hunt country, not even in a neighbouring hunt country, but in an actual OTHER country. If the H and C wasn't such a cr*p hunt we reckon he really would need to apply for that whip's role at the DSSH. Thank you to everyone who has donated recently, your support is keeping us out in the fields, and thank you to all the info received.